Sensory Baby

Posted: Jun 30th, 2011

Sensory BabyBy Dr. Lin Day, Baby Sensory

The next time you read a book, stop for a moment and marvel at the amazingcapacity of the brain to carry out such an intricate task. Processing informationand co-ordinating the eyes involves many complex interactions between the brainand senses. Sensations from the outside world are changed into electricalimpulses and carried to the brain, which then decodes the information toproduce the image that is seen. Although the process of gathering anddeciphering information begins before birth, as soon as the baby leaves thewomb, the sense organs work overtime. This is the beginning of sensoryeducation.This article summarizes some of the most important findings about thedevelopment of the baby’s senses in the first year and suggests ways of leadinglearning forwards.

Sensory experiences from birthIn recent years, much publicity has been given to the French physician,Frederick Leboyer, who was responsible for creating awareness of thefunctioning senses of the newborn in maternity wards. Leboyer’s revolutionarybook ‘Birth without Violence’ inspired mothers all over the world to give birth inan environment that mirrored the baby’s prenatal surroundings. His work closelyfollowed the work of Maria Montessori, who believed that experiences in earlyinfancy had far-reaching implications for improving the quality of human lifeintellectually, physically and emotionally. Montessori realised that babies werefar from passive in their learning and that they had an immense desire toexplore the environment by means of their senses.

The sense of touchTransition from the womb to warm water, approximate in temperature to theamniotic fluid, gives the baby the opportunity of making a gradual adjustment tothe environment. Soft lighting and soothing music ensure that the first sensoryexperiences are as tranquil as possible. After this, contact may be with themother who reassures the baby that the world is a warm and comforting placeto be. Research increasingly supports the fact that touching the skin heightenssensory awareness and triggers the production of endorphins, chemicals thatbring about feelings of happiness. What is certain is that babies who aretouched and caressed are more likely to grow up to be loving social beings.Babies will examine and concentrate at length on textured objects that have aparticular feel. Through the sense of touch, the brain builds up interconnectingcircuits within and between the motor cortex of the cerebellum, which governsaction, and the frontal lobes responsible for logical thinking. Babies oftenbecome attached to a soft blanket or a special object which providespsychological comfort and security during periods of separation from themother. Such attachment is normal.Growing use of the hands in the second half of the first year leads to importantdiscoveries about the different properties of objects. This is the perfect timeto introduce interesting toys that encourage exploration, develop hand-eye coordinationand perception. All areas of sensory development will be enhanced bythe use of a treasure basket filled with interesting natural or household objectsand textured materials. Changing the contents regularly adds novelty andmaintains interest.

MouthingThe lips and tongue are sensitive areas for examining objects and mouthingprovides the baby with a very accurate image of size and shape. Mouthing is alsoa fundamental way in which the baby learns about weight, taste, smell andtemperature. Mouthing gradually decreases as babies use their hands more; thisleads to the discovery of new kinds of information.Visual developmentAt birth, the eye and brain areas responsible for vision are immature, whichexplains why very young babies are unable to see red, yellow and pastel coloursclearly. Bold black and white patterns provide the greatest contrast. However,unless the baby has a visual problem, black and white toys are not necessary topromote normal vision.

Faces are particularly attractive to the young baby, although the moststimulating image after birth is the mother's face. The newborn searches outthe pupil, which also resembles the shape of the nipple. Objects up to a distanceof 20 – 25 centimetres (8 – 10 inches) can be seen, which turns out to be thedistance at which the mother holds the baby when nursing or cuddling. Attentionmay also be fixed on objects to the right or to the left rather than on objectsdirectly in front or above. A mobile directly above the cot is less likely to catchthe baby’s interest than one placed to one side.The pathways that relay information from the eye to the occipital lobe at theback of the brain develop rapidly. By the age of two months, both eyes can focusequally and track the movement of an object if it is not too far away. Coloursbecome distinct with preference shown first towards red and yellow and thengreen and blue. By the age of three months, the baby will follow an object in afull arc, from right to left. At this stage, the baby is particularly fascinated bymoving lights, providing they are not too bright.By the age of 6 months, pastel colours are recognised and small objects can bespotted from a distance. The baby also develops depth perception (3-dimensional sight) and will turn an object over to get a different perspective.Babies that watch television see images in two dimensions and are unable tolocate the precise size, position and shape of an object.At 8 months, colour vision is fully developed and the baby begins to see withmuch greater accuracy. Simple puzzles, building blocks and stacking toys aregood for getting the eyes and hands to work together at this stage. However,eye-hand co-ordination is the result of visual development and many months oflearning in the first year.

Activities that strengthen the eye muscles and encourage them to work as ateam are crucial for the development of eye-hand coordination. Being able toread and write depends on eye-teaming and the ability to distinguish line, shapeand position in space. Even so, it takes four to five years for vision to reach thefull adult level, which is why continual visual stimulation is so important.

Sound experiencesThe continued formation of the auditory pathways is influenced by exposure tonoise of every kind in the first year. The newborn shows a significantpreference for the mother’s voice, lullabies, music, pure tones (e.g. flute) andwhite noise. The monotonous sound of the vacuum cleaner, the tumble drier orthe hum of a car engine can be particularly soothing to a young baby.Songs and rhymes introduce babies to a variety of sound patterns, new wordsand changes in pitch and melody and lay the foundations for later reading,writing and mathematics. Musical interaction, where the baby is an activeparticipant, provides an outlet for frustration and tension and promotes theproduction of antibodies, leading to improved health and well-being. Being noisyis one of the most exciting and enjoyable experiences that a baby can have!Research shows that early musical experiences leave their imprint on the brain.The National Geographic ‘My Brilliant Brain – Born Genius’ episode on November26, 2007, gave a remarkable insight into how musical ability can be developedfrom an early age. Lack of early experience, however, greatly limits the abilityto pick out a melody on an instrument and the ability to make pitchdiscriminations. In cultures where music is a part of daily life, babies candiscriminate differences in frequency and melodic contour and match specificpitches. Tone deafness is almost unheard of!

There is abundant evidence to show that ear infections can be a major cause oflearning problems in later life. Middle ear infections, for example, can cause theauditory pathways to be laid down in a very unpredictable manner in the firstyear. They can also interfere with the development of balance and cause visualtracking problems. Chronic ear infections may also lead to mouth breathing,which prevents the body from getting the oxygen it needs for braindevelopment (50% of the body’s oxygen is used by the brain). Mouth breathingcan cause speech problems, which may be difficult to correct later on. Earlyintervention, however, can make a dramatic difference to the development ofauditory function.

SmellStudies have shown that babies develop their sense of smell long before theother four senses. Within a few hours, the newborn uses the sense of smell tolocate the mother, which is why cuddling is so important. The newborn alsorecognizes the smell of breast milk and can distinguish it from the milk of astranger. A cloth sprinkled with the mother’s milk or the familiar smell of asecurity blanket can be very comforting to a young baby. There is also evidenceto suggest that pleasant smells can actually boost the immune system, relievestress and induce sleep.Research has shown that smell stimulates several receptors in the part of thebrain that is also responsible for basic learning skills. However, it is theolfactory receptors high up in the nasal passage that have the capacity todistinguish more than 9,000 different smells. Each receptor has a place wherean odour molecule can form a bond with it so the brain can perceive the smellcorrectly. Smelling does not require air; it simply requires an odour molecule.This is why babies can detect scent through the amniotic fluid and aquaticanimals can smell in water!

TasteThere is a special relationship between the sense of smell and the sense oftaste. Taste buds on the tongue can distinguish four qualities – sweet, sour,bitter and salt: all other tastes are detected by the olfactory receptors in thenasal passage. Newborns are actually able to discern a variety of flavours, whichmay occur in the breast milk. Babies that are fed exclusively fed on breast milkor formula may resist the taste of vegetables and fruits and it may take as manyas 20 attempts before they are accepted. Babies also have a tongue reflex,which makes them push out their tongues during feeding, which may beinterpreted as dislike of a certain food. However, it is important to realize thatbabies have widely different preferences during the first year of life.Key points• Babies have a natural interest in exploring the world through their senses• The ability to use the senses is related to experiences from birth• Stimulating the baby with different textures, sights, sounds, smells andtastes develops neural connections between the brain cells and developsintelligence• An impoverished sensory environment creates fewer neural connectionsthan a rich sensory environment• Everything the baby hears sees, touches, smells or tastes provides abasis for all future learning